The invention relates to a yellow warning light indicator that is located at the rear of a lead vehicle to be visible by a tailing vehicle and wherein the yellow warning light is lit when the driver of the lead vehicle releases his foot from the accelerator pedal so as to warn the driver of the trailing vehicle that the lead vehicle is slowing down.
It is known to provide brake warning lights on vehicles which are energized when the brakes are applied to alert drivers in trailing vehicles to the fact that the vehicle ahead of them is slowing down by virtue of the driver applying the brakes. However, such a red warning signal is only applied when the brakes are applied. Drivers quite often slow down by just releasing the accelerator pedal. Under this condition of vehicle slow down, a driver in a trailing vehicle will have no advanced warning of the release of the accelerator pedal by the driver of a leading vehicle.
It is an object of this invention to warn the driver of a trailing vehicle when a leading vehicle is slowing down.
The invention contemplates providing a yellow coasting warning light adjacent the red braking lights situated at the rear of motor vehicles.
The yellow coasting light can be energized by either a release of the accelerator pedal, or a sudden easing of the accelerator pedal.
While the preferred control would involve both a pedal position and a sudden easing of the accelerator pedal control, only an accelerator pedal release signal could be used.
The invention contemplates that the circuit for the yellow coasting warning lamp would have two switches in series. The first switch being connected to a vehicle transmission or gear shift lever and being opened when the gear shift is in a "park," "reverse", or "neutrals" condition. The second switch would be activated by the accelerator pedal. Thus the vehicle would have to be in a forward gear before the yellow warning light could be activated.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.